1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a program executed in a client and a server for use of services provided by the server, a client authentication requesting method, a server authentication request processing method, the client and the server. More particularly, the invention relates to a program for specifying a user and a client to be used by a user, and allowing supply of services, a client authentication requesting method, a server authentication request processing method, the client and the server.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an electronic service system for services such as ASP service provided by a server, it is the conventional practice to issue a user ID and a password as authentication information through user registration, collating the user ID and the password from the client reported by the user as expressed in the service use request with the registered ID and the password, and allowing use of services when collation shows an agreement.
In such an electronic service system, so that the employee of an enterprise using the system, responsible for its management can watch information necessary for management of the status of system utilization by users, access management is performed by allowing access by the use of terminal information unique to the client with a view to specifying the client used in addition to the ID and the password of the responsible personnel.
This is an access management method of comparing client's unique terminal information registered in advance in the system with the unique terminal information sampled from the client upon use by the user, and if there is an agreement, the user is deemed to be a proper user.
Pieces of client's unique terminal information applicable in this case include an MAC address which is an ID No. unique to NICC (Network Interface Card), a serial No. of the hard disk, a serial No. of CPU, a product No. which falls under information regarding software and various other pieces of information. Among others, the MAC address of the network adapter (NIC) provided in the client is the most widely utilized.
This is because MAC addresses of the network adapters are uniquely allocated so as to avoid duplication for the necessity in communication, and a client terminal using the system via the network is always provided with a network adapter.
In this regard, reference is made to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-358926.